Responds to inquiries in a timely manner and is willing to speak over the phone.

Answers your questions about how they operate, the number of animals they have and where they get them, how many adoptions they complete annually, how many foster homes they have, their annual budget and their spay/neuter policy.

Has a facility that is clean and organized and the animals appear fed and healthy. If the group operates solely out of foster homes, the ratio of foster homes to total number of animals isn’t alarming.

Complies with local restrictions on the number of animals allowed per residence and other laws that pertain to running a shelter, such as having a kennel license.

Has a positive reputation in the community among veterinarians, animal shelters and pet owners
.